2019 is expected to be a year of growth for the roofing industry.
As the industry grows, the competition for customers also increases.
And with more people relying on Internet searches and reviews to find reliable home services, it’s more important than ever to make sure your roofing business rises to the top in local search results.
One important way to do that is through...
Search engine optimization.
What is search engine optimization (SEO)?
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to a set of practices that allow you to ensure your website is easy for people to find in search engines like Google and Bing.
The purpose of SEO practices is to generate more traffic to your website and, as a result, generate more calls and jobs for your roofing company.
When done right, SEO improves your company’s position on the search engine results page. This position is known as your “ranking.”
The higher your ranking, the easier it will be for potential customers to find and visit your website, meaning you have more opportunities to win their business!
There are numerous best practices for SEO, but a few include:
- Creating high-quality, helpful content on topics your potential customers care about (e.g., blogs, articles, videos, etc.).
- Using relevant keywords in your content (words and phrases your prospects are likely to type into search engines).
- Ensuring your business has accurate listings on business directory sites like Google My Business and YP.com.
- Using meta tags and descriptions for each page of your website to specify what type of content is on the page.
- Creating a plan for generating links to your website from other reputable sites (“backlinks”).
- Keeping your business active on social media.
Improving your visibility in search engines takes time
Keep in mind, SEO isn’t a quick fix that increases revenue overnight—it’s a practice that requires ongoing effort.
In addition to setting up your website in a way that is easy for search engines to find, read, and rank (everything from the layout of your website to the type of code you use to create your webpages), effective SEO also requires you to build your business’ online reputation over time.
Why?
Because search engines want to give their users not just any results, but the best results from the most reliable sources.
You can build your online reputation through practices like:
- Creating content that answers common questions related to your industry and provides real value to potential customers.
- Getting more people talking about your business on social media sites and other websites.
- Generating a high volume of positive reviews on sites like Yelp and Google.
- Getting your business featured in interviews, news stories, guest blogs, etc.
SEO can be a lot of work, but it pays off in the end.
The better your SEO is, the higher your company will land on search engine result pages (SERPs), which means more visibility and a higher level of trust for your business.
Focus on these four areas for your SEO strategy
With a quickly growing customer base and an even faster growing list of competitors, it’s imperative that roofing businesses do what they can to stand out.
In addition to improving lead generation, SEO can help you make your company the go-to roofing business in your area.
But keep in mind that focusing on only one aspect of SEO will not improve your search rankings. Instead, true optimization requires you to optimize your online presence in these four key areas...
Local SEO:
Most roofing jobs are driven from the surrounding community, so implementing local SEO should be a top priority. It starts with ensuring your contact and business information in online directories is accurate and complete. Be sure to create a Google My Business account, as this is a great way to ensure your business gets found in both the regular search results in Google and the “local” search results that appear below the map. You can also improve your local SEO by incorporating the areas you serve in your keywords and content (e.g., “Los Angeles roofer”).
On-page SEO:
On-page SEO refers to settings on your website pages that ensure they’re optimized for the search engine “crawlers” that rank your pages. While high-quality content is the most important SEO factor, other factors include SEO titles, tags, and descriptions, using the correct URLs, text formatting, image optimization, page speed, optimized site navigation, and more.
Off-page SEO:
While on-page SEO refers to techniques used on your web pages, off-page SEO refers to tactics you can use outside of the realm of your website to help search engines understand how the rest of the world views your company. The primary way this happens is through backlinks (links to your website from other sites) because a high-quality, useful site is more likely to have mentions from other sources. However, off-page SEO also includes strategies like online business listings, social media profiles, guest blogging, and influencer marketing.
SEO + Digital Marketing:
While SEO helps roofing businesses succeed, it’s important to continue other valuable digital marketing strategies that help build authority and reputation. Social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, and Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) are a few examples of other digital marketing strategies that can help boost your roofing company’s visibility in search engines.
Consider working with an expert
If SEO sounds like too much work for your busy schedule, consider hiring an SEO expert.
Just like roofing jobs require expertise to ensure the finished product is watertight and will last for your years to come, successful SEO strategies take targeted planning, carefully crafted content, and consistent effort over time to ensure long-term success.
A company with a proven track record helping home services business will best be able to ensure you get the best return on investment from your SEO.
Ready to create an SEO strategy for your roofing business? Call Scorpion at (866) 616-0824 or send us a message here.
